Lobbyist’s income has tripled since Heastie became speaker(NYP) Patrick Jenkins, a longtime friend and $4,000-a-month political adviser to Speaker Carl Heastie, who replaced corrupt Sheldon Silver in the powerful post, has seen his lobbying business triple since his buddy became speaker last year, according to records reviewed by The Post. The number of lobbying clients represented by Patrick B. Jenkins &amp; Associates skyrocketed from nine during the 2013-2014 legislative session to 27 in 2015-2016 sessions — making Heastie’s chum an emerging Albany power broker, records filed with the New York State Joint Commission on Public Ethics show. There’s a good reason folks with business before the statehouse hire Jenkins: He has the new speaker’s ear, as their close relationship goes back to being dorm mates while they attended SUNY Stony Brook. It’s no different than when Patricia Lynch was the “go to” lobbyist for clients seeking access and favorable action from Silver, according to Albany sources. Lynch had served as Silver’s communications director before becoming a lobbyist. “You hire a lobbyist for access,” said Arthur Schwartz, a public-relations guru. “If I had a client who needed access to Heastie, it’s a no-brainer. I would hire Patrick Jenkins.” For example, Jenkins landed a $12,500 joint monthly retainer from the major accounting firms Ernst &amp; Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers and KPMG. That comes out to $150,000 a year.Fantasy-sports firms DraftKings and FanDuel paid Jenkins’ firm $6,000 apiece monthly this year as they sought state approval to legalize their transactions in New York. And Aqueduct Resorts World casino operator Genting pays Jenkins’ firm $240,000 a year. Major security firms are also seeking Jenkins’ help. They include Secure­Watch24, which provides defense for the Brooklyn Nets, and stun-gun maker Taser International. He’s getting a piece of the action tied to New York’s legalization of medical marijuana, too: Cannabis cultivator Palliatech pays Jenkins’ firm $7,500 monthly. The Post previously reported the unusual arrangement of Heastie paying Jenkins $4,000 a month as a campaign adviser while his pal lobbies him for a growing list of clients. They defended the arrangement.

Labor Transit Boss Hanley Sues His Close Friend de Blasio Over Hiding Public Records

Private bus company gets $22 million in no bid routes. DeBlasio illegally bypasses Franchise Review Committee. Hanley to play buddy buddy this Saturday.

By Jim Callaghan

Here's how bad labor is: ATU president Larry Hanley, the patronage challenged president of the union, will be sharing a stage with Mayor Wilhelm this Saturday the 27th in Staten Island to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Local 726. Wilhelm and Hanley are best buddies, but why? Consider: 1- Wilhelm let out bids to mobbed up school bus companies that resulted in the layoffs of over 2000 ATU members, many of them Haitians. You never read one word of criticism from Hanley. 2- Hanley had me investigate how a politically connected new jersey bus companies was given $22 million by Bloomberg in the last 11 days of the Bloomberg administration to run express routes between Staten Island and manhattan. we FOILED city documents and were given 400 plus emails with every single word redacted, something I have never seen in 36 years of reporting. Hanley sued his best bud Wilhelm and told him about It at GracieMansion last year. Wilhelm said:" that's not right," but refused to hand over the documents. Why? Because Wilhelm, Deputy Mayor Shorris and DOT commissioner Polly Tottenberg broke the law, bypassing public bidding and skipping the Franchise Review Committee. Koch appointees went to jail for less (see Anthony Ameruso). Hanley has kept silent on this abuse and criminality. Will Hanley tell his members Saturday how much Wilhelm picked their pockets to pay for a lawsuit? Hanley insisted that I not tell Danny Casella , the Local 726 president, because he was in bed with management, an absurd allegation. Its Hanley who is in bed with the top dawg of management, the mayor himself 3- Hanley had me investigate the third bankruptcy of Atlantic Express, whose president admitted to paying off school bus safety inspectors for advance notice of city inspections. He also showed off a gun in his briefcase during negotiations with DOE lawyers. Hanley told me not to tell Mike Cordiello, the president of the school bus union, because he was in bed with management. (Sound familiar) and because Cordiello hired Pitta, Bishop instead of Hanley's cronies. 4- last year, there was a meeting of ATU officials and transportation advocates about Wilhelm's Zero Vision policy, whereby bus drivers were being arrested after accidents. We showed how the mirror design of the bus was so flawed that it blocked the driver's vision. After the meeting, Wilhelm promised to "write" to MTA chair Tom Prendergast to "look into" the mirror problem, which can be fixed for less than $500 per bus. I called Hanley and suggested he ask the mayor to use his emergency powers to keep unsafe buses off the street until the mirrors were fixed. "He will never do that, " Hanley said. I also found stories from the 1970's when people were having their arms mangled because the driver had no right side mirror. The MTA refused to fix the problem. It took four years and a bill in Albany to get the $150 mirror installed. Well, it's alnost one year later after thst meeting, and the easy fix hasn't happened, putting drivers and pedestrians in harm's way. Will Hanley tell his members this story Saturday night? Will he tell them he excluded TWU president John Samuelson from the meeting, calling him a sell out? And thst his staffers blocked the doors to the meeting so TWU officials couldn't attend?. 4-Hanley also asked me and a videographer to shoot stills and tape of hundreds of illegal new jersey vans that clog the streets around the Port Authority every day, blocking emergency exits (think terrorism) by leaving their vans parked all day illegally and parked under " NYPD Security Zone" signs. I wanted to rent a car, park it illegally behind a van and video how long it would take the cops to tow it. (Probably less than an hour). I wanted to share that video and the other hundreds of photos we had to the press. Hanley said he didn't want to embarrass the mayor! (Seriously). The vsns take work away from ATU members in New Jersey. They have powerful friends in NJ, including the indicted Menendez. They hire off duty cops to chase their competitors away from bus stops. When I showed Hanley that one company held a fund raiser for Hillary, he closed down the investigation. ( the guy claims on his website he carries 40,000 passengers a day (all in cash fares. Totalling 400k a day... a lot of cash for payoffs to pols and cops.). The Port Authority is a major terrorist target. The car with a car bomb a few years ago was discovered by a street vendor, not by one of the hundreds of cops who "patrol" Times Square.. 5-when Wilhelm worked for ATU -supported Dinkins, he said no, maybe, yes to a bus only express lane over the VerrazannoBridge. It would have increased ridership, reduced pollution, earned the MTA tens of millions a year and created more ATU jobs. It never happened, even though the mayor has four votes on the MTA board and a powerful bully pulpit. 6-why won't Hanley join the TWU in threatening to sue Wilhelm if he tries to illegally give away Parks land without public bidding so at least half of the men and women who drive the horse carriages will be unemployed so Wilhelm can pay off his developer friends who want the stables for high rises? The developers kicked in over $ 1 million to help Wilhelm become mayor. Despite all that, Happy Anniversary Local 726. Write your checks to Wilhelm for mayor. ( cash preferred)

A History of School Bus OwnershipThe Goons, The Mob and the School-Bus Strike (1979 New York Mag) In 1979 the cost of the school bus system was $100 million today $1.1 Billion * The school-bus union's mob ties—Editorial ... - New York Post * Mayoral Candidates on the Bus StrikeAs yellow school bus drivers strike today, many of the candidates for mayor have taken sides. Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and Comptroller John Liu, both Democrats vying for labor support, have backed the union and slammed City Hall, while the more cautious Christine Quinn and Bill Thompson have avoided categorical positions thus far. Republican George McDonald, on the other side of the partisan aisle, said striking drivers should simply be fired.

True News Wags the NYP On Lobbyists Ickes Other NYC Clients But Left Out Bus Contract Connection to de Blasio Senate Funding

The Post's Writer Richard Calder Even Started to Follow True News On Twitter Yesterday Afternoon

De Blasio’s lobbyistpal has collected $862K since 2014 (NYP) A longtime pal of Mayor de Blasio has collected $862,550 as a lobbyist for 14 clients since the mayor took office in 2014 — compared to $61,305 off a single client the previous 12 years, according to city records. Harold Ickes operated out of Washington, DC, and didn’t even have a New York office until after de Blasio ­ascended to power. They include the American Beverage Association, which has shelled out $180,000 trying to limit Health Department restrictions on sugary drinks; JPMorganChase, which paid $172,500 in a failed bid to win subsidies to build new headquarters on the Far West Side; AEG Live, which shelled out $150,000 before scoring a permit to host a music festival on Randalls Island; and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1181-1061, which spent $42,000 before Ickes delivered $42 million in taxpayer funds to boost private-bus driver salaries. When asked about Ickes’ influence at City Hall, mayoral spokesman Peter Kardushin said: “Every day, individuals lobby New York City on a broad range of issues. All decisions by the de Blasio administration are made on the merits.” *

It sure pays to be Mayor de Blasio’s pal (NYP Ed) Harold Ickes is the new poster boy for how well it pays to be pals with Mayor de Blasio. As The Post’s Rich Calder reports today, Ickes — a longtime de Blasio friend — has seen his City Hall lobbying income soar under this mayor. In the entire Bloomberg era, Ickes got just $61,305 to lobby City Hall. In the two de Blasio years, he’s raked in a whopping $862,550. JP Morgan Chase paid him $172,500 to try to win city subsidies. The American Beverage Association paid him $180,000 to head off restrictions on soda sales. No lobbyists can guarantee results. But Ickes sure delivers high-level access: He and his business partner had a 90-minute dinner with the mayor and his wife in 2014 — just to discuss JP Morgan Chase. And some clients win big: A private bus-drivers union sent $42,000 to Ickes and got $42 million in taxpayer funds to boost the drivers’ pay. “It appears that ‘pay to play’ is very much alive and well in the de Blasio adminstration,” says NYC Parks Advocates’ Geoffrey Croft. “I guess in hindsight, it really shouldn’t surprise anyone that AEG Live got preferential treatment.” To be fair, Ickes delivers better results than the mayor himself. For all the help real-estate mogul Steve Nislick gave de Blasio’s 2013 campaign, he still hasn’t gotten his big ask: a shutdown of the West Side carriage-horse stables on a parcel he longs to develop. The mayor’s failed to shut down the carriage industry — and his new deal to bribe the horse-cabbies into taxpayer-paid Central Park stables is already falling apart. The proposal’s under fire from the carriage drivers, the animal-rights nuts, Central Park stewards and good-government types. If de Blasio still manages to push it through, it deserves attention from US Attorney Preet Bharara — who’s pretty good at exposing corrupt quid pro quos.

From True News Yesterday

The NYP Ickes de Blasio's School Bus Pay to Play $40,000 for Campaign for 1NY and $100,000 for Senate Dems

Mayor de Blasio’s secret cash gifts (NYP July 23, 2014) On Tuesday, The Post’s Carl Campanile reported that several school-bus operators funneled $40,000 to the Campaign for One New York. This is the nonprofit founded by de Blasio allies after his election as mayor and devoted to promoting his agenda. * What's driving political donations(CrainsNY)Last month, a man named Alexis Lodde made a $100,000 donation to a Hudson Valley Democratic Party account. It was an exceptional gift from a Texan who until recently had never made a political contribution in New York. The donation came less than two months after employees at certain bus companies, including one owned by Mr. Lodde's firm, were given a $42 million grant pushed through by Mayor Bill de Blasio. Employees at Mr. Lodde's company are expected to be among the largest beneficiaries. The Daily News reported that Mr. de Blasio and associates raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the obscure campaign account—the Putnam County Democratic Committee, whose chairman quickly transferred $433,000 to help two Democratic state Senate candidates. The $42 million allows them to pay competitive salaries after having won the contracts with low bids. "It makes it possible for the companies to have labor peace," said Ms. Kellermann. MV Transportation had been a target of vandalism during a 2013 school-bus strike over its labor contracts.

Meara Avella Dickinson, one of the state's most successful lobbying firms, has dozens of other clients. Though its employees didn't return phone calls, Mike McKeon of Mercury Public Affairs responded to the Times Union on behalf of his friend Meara. In an October 2013 news release, Abtech Holdings — the parent company of AbTech Industries — announced the $12 million contract to construct a stormwater management project for NassauCounty. The release stated that another subsidiary of Abtech Holdings, the stormwater engineering company AEWS Engineering, would be involved in the project. More than a year later, AEWS in November 2014 secured Meara Avella Dickinson for "infrastructure" lobbying, records show. The contract was signed by Avella. But according to McKeon, that assignment came not through Glenwood but through another Albany lobbying firm, Capitol Group LLC, which had sought Avella's services. McKeon said the work only lasted two months. * How the Lobbyists Who Make Up the Shadow Government Cover for Each Other and Are Interconnected

Anyone Who Understand Bharara Knows That Silver Rat Meara Has Become Not Only Silver and Skelos's Rat But Others

The press office for Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano didn't return a request for comment about the scope of work performed as part of that lobbying contract. (The acting Nassau district attorney launched a probe into the county's process for awarding contracts.) Meara "didn't represent AbTech and never did" in any aspect of the $12 million deal, McKeon said. "He had no involvement in the (stormwater) contract. He stopped representing NassauCounty long before the contract was awarded." Lobbying disclosures state Meara's firm was getting paid by Nassau though June 2013, but McKeon said his work on behalf of Nassau stopped in 2012. Top Albany lobbyist Brian Meara is denying any involvement in the ongoing investigation into Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and his son despite having several clients reportedly involved, theTimes Union reports:Though Meara didn't respond to requests for comment, a friend authorized to speak on his behalf said he has nothing to do with the Skelos investigation.The Skelos probe, described by the New York Times last week, has ties to three current or recent Meara lobbying clients, including a North Carolina subsidiary of a company calledAbTech Holdings.Investigators are reportedly looking into whether Skelos sought to exert influence in AbTech's pursuit of a $12 million stormwater management contract with Nassau County, Skelos' power base.Senate Republicans are reportedly nervous because Meara is a business partner with fellow lobbyist Mike Avella, a former counsel to the Senate GOP and Skelos. The two are principals in the Albany-based firm Meara Avella Dickinson. Records show Meara Avella Dickinson also recently represented Nassau County, as well as another business mentioned in the Times report: real estate developer Glenwood Management.Run by the state's most generous political donor, Leonard Litwin, Glenwood was Meara's link to the Silver case: A longtime friend of Silver, Meara has reportedly received a non-prosecution agreement in exchange for helping prosecutors link payments made by the prominent Manhattan developer to the Assembly speaker, who was ousted from his leadership position in January following his arrest.* Mercury reopens for business in Albany, with Pat Lynch’s people (Capital)

Council Speaker Campaign Gives the Most Member Items $$ to Her Campaign Consultants Lobbyists MirRam

After a Bad Night for Their Client Espaillat MirRam Still Made Money Today

HEASTIE'S HELPERS: THE BRONXGANG THAT MADE HIM ONE OF THE STATE'S MOST POWERFUL DEMOCRATS (Wayne Barrett, City and State) We are just getting to know Carl Heastie, the new speaker of the state Assembly, and there’s been no better introduction than the one that appeared in The New York Times recently. The Times reporters, Russ Buettner and David Chen, had earlier taught us some dark lessons about Sheldon Silver, the now-indicted speaker that Heastie succeeded in February. This time, they wrote a very late obit about Heastie’s mother Helene, who died in 1999, three weeks after she was sentenced for stealing $197,000 from a Bronx nonprofit where she worked. The Times discovered that Carl Heastie then ignored a January 1999 court order that he sell the apartment his mother bought with some of the “moneys that were stolen,” as the sentencing judge put it. A co-owner of the property with his mother, Heastie had agreed to sell it as part of a plea bargain deal that would keep his mother out of jail. The Heasties were to transfer the proceeds of the sale, plus another $40,000 from a separate judgment, to the city and the looted nonprofit.

No Elections or Democracy In Heastie's Still Burning Bronx

When City &amp; State described this story and asked Heastie’s spokesman Michael Whyland for an interview with the speaker, Whyland emailed: “Not interested in discussing old insider politics or theories anyone might have.” The saga starts with a man unnamed in the Times account—Roberto Ramírez, who was an assemblyman and the Bronx County Democratic leader when the court orders were issued in 1999. In early 2000, with the orders still hanging over Heastie’s head, Ramírez announced that Heastie was the party’s candidate for an open Assembly seat. art of a musical-chair package of party selections for several legislative and other positions, Heastie’s designation had been in the works going back to 1998.when his ally, attorney Joey Jackson, indicated he would run against Heastie, Ramírez stuck with Heastie, promising to back Jackson in a future city council or other race. Jackson, meanwhile, was so close to Ramírez that Ramírez had given him a top countywide party office and offered to make him the state committeeman from the Assembly district Heastie would represent. ut Jackson filed petitions to oppose Heastie anyway. He changed his mind, he told reporters, when he was “approached from behind on the street by two men who told him to drop out” and threatened to harm his wife and young child if he didn’t. Jackson said many of his friends and supporters thought the Bronx party “might be tied to the threats,” though he didn’t hold the organization responsible.When Jackson decided to withdraw, Heastie and Ramírez’s attorney, Stanley Schlein, a fixture of the Bronx machine for four decades, brought a declination form to Jackson’s house, got his signature and rushed to the Board of Elections to file it. Two hours later, Jackson changed his mind again and dashed to the board, canceling his declination 15 minutes before a midnight deadline. Ramírez’s lawyers opposed Jackson’s attempt to rescind the declination and the board rejected it, paving the way for Heastie to win the Democratic primary without opposition. Jackson went to District Attorney Johnson’s office about the threats to his family, but they did nothing. Schlein was representing Johnson at the same time that he was representing Heastie, rebuffing a 1999 court challenge to Johnson’s Bronx residency. A committee controlled by Ramírez donated $3,000 to Johnson’s 1999 campaign, all while the Heastie court orders were still a live issue.

Memo to NYP Political Director: David Seifman: MirRam Violated the City's Ethics Law

What the NYP left out was that MirRam that group that profited from the graft was illegally working on the the campaign to make Melissa Mark Viverito Speaker. The lines that the NYP did not copy from the CrainsNY piece was the most important to point out how MirRam acted illegally. CrainsNY - "Last November, during the heart of the City Council speaker race, an employee of the MirRam group fielded a press request from Crain's on Ms. Mark-Viverito's behalffor an article about her past refusal to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. But on Wednesday, a spokeswoman for MirRam said any work done for Ms. Mark-Viverito was only related work for her 2013 City Council campaign, though it had ended weeks before the press request was fielded by MirRam. The firm was not paid to assist her speaker campaign." Another lobbying firm close to Ms. Mark-Viverito, the Advance Group,landed in hot water for providing free consulting services during Ms. Mark-Viverito's speaker campaign.

Council Speaker From I Can't Breathe to 1000 More Cops All About Spin of the Moment

Mark-Viverito pushes plan to hire 1,000 more cops(NYP) The Pitta Bishop Del Giorno &amp; Giblin Lobbying Firm Represent the "I Can't Breathe" Council Speaker at the Same Time It Represents the Detective's PBA-MichaelPalladino, the president of the Detectives' Endowment Association

Council Speaker Mark-Viverito who last mother put on an I Can't Breathe T-Shirt to join the anti-police protesters has made Pitta Biship Del Giorno millions in lobbying fees after the lobbyists help her win the speakership. The lobbying firm also represents the Detectives' Endowment Association, whose leader Palladino said Mr. de Blasio should offer an kind apology.* As City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito pushes to add a thousand police officers, liberal elected officials are in an unfamiliar position—bearing the brunt of fury from activists on the left, the Observerreports:

The NYC nabes that simultaneously see the most crime, 911 calls, arrests are known as the "Crime Cloud" at the NYPD- 'Broken Windows' report

Council speaker puts connected lobbyist on payroll(CrainsNY) Melissa Mark-Viverito quietly handed a $130,000-a-year staff position to a lobbyist from the firm that helped propel her to the City Council speakership, payroll records show. In late March, Carlos Beato, who was a lobbyist at the firm Pitta Bishop Del Giorno &amp; Giblin, joined the City Council payroll as a deputy general counsel. The move came not long after the lobbying shop—which has long served as Ms. Mark-Viverito’s campaign compliance consultant—quarterbacked her council speaker bid. The firm’s Jon Del Giorno set up an “appointments committee” for Ms. Mark-Viverito to vet applicants for the council staff. The firm lobbied Ms. Mark-Viverito as her speaker bid was ongoing, and has continued to do so since her ascension to the city's second-most powerful post. The close ties have drawn scrutiny and a call from the Daily News for Ms. Mark-Viverito to sever ties with the firm and its clients. In an unprecedented and clever move, the Pitta Bishop set up a 2017 campaign accountto facilitate Ms. Mark-Viverito’s speaker run. That allowed her to raise $100,000, with more than $20,000 coming from the lobbying firm’s clients. The good-government group Common Cause accused Ms. Mark-Viverito of exploiting loopholes in state election law. Pitta Bishop's clients also reportedly funded much of her $27,000 inauguration party. * NY lobbying grows another 4%, spent $109 M in first sixmonths of this year; now 32 lobbyists for every legislator

To the Winner Lobbyists Goes the Spoils (City Council)Since the 2013 elections Pitta Bishop Del Giorno &amp; Giblin has picked up of 70 clients to lobby for. 51 clients to lobby the city council, 17 to lobby the office of the mayor

Another big winner of 2013 made a similar argument. Jon Del Giorno, sitting in his firm's 28th-floor conference room a few blocks from City Hall, downplayed the notion that his closeness with Ms. Mark-Viverito will help his firm, Pitta Bishop Del Giorno &amp; Giblin, which has hovered near the bottom of, or just out of, the top-10 list. Pitta Bishop has done Ms. Mark-Viverito's election-law compliance since 2005, and last year Mr. Del Giorno quarterbacked her uphill speaker bid. In a clever and unprecedented move, the firm set up a 2017 campaign account for an unspecified office with the state Board of Elections, which allowed Ms. Mark-Viverito to raise $100,000 and hire a full staff for her run, despite needing just 26 votes from council colleagues to win. More than $21,000 of the money reportedly came from Pitta Bishop's long roster of business and labor clients, and gave Ms. Mark-Viverito an edge over her rivals. Common Cause New York said the new speaker was "exploiting" the state's lax campaign-finance system.A consulting firm—Pitta Bishop Del Giorno &amp; Giblin—that helped Melissa Mark-Viverito in her runs for City Council and Council speaker has lobbied her on behalf of four clients, the Daily News reports: Disclosure reports show an advocacy group, the East Side Alliance Against Overdevelopment, paid Pitta Bishop $15,000 in November to fight a plan by Memorial Sloan-Kettering hospital to build two towers on city-owned land on E. 73rd St. Pitta Bishop lobbied Council members from Manhattan, including Mark-Viverito — who represents East Harlem — to vote against the project when it came before the 12-member Manhattan Borough Board on Nov. 21. Mark-Viverito voted no, but the project was approved 6 to 4. Mark-Viverito’s spokesman said her vote had no connection to the lobbying by her consultant. In January and February, Pitta Bishop lobbyists also met with Mark-Viverito’s staff on behalf of another client, the Vera Institute. The goal? Vera’s request for additional Council funding of a pilot program providing legal aid to immigrants. Vera received $500,000 in funding last year and wants $5 million more this year. Pitta Bishop also lobbied Mark-Viverito in January and February seeking “support for museum programming related to anti-bullying” run by the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Manhattan. She was asked to speak at an anti-bullying event targeted to children, which she agreed to do, her spokesman said. And Luis Miranda of the MirRam Group enjoys a close relationship with Ms. Mark-Viverito.

Even the Red Cross is Controlled and Wastes Millions on Public Relations Consultants

In the wake of Hurricanes Sandy and Isaac in 2012 Americans sent hundreds of millions of dollars to the Red Cross, but the charity botched key parts of its recovery mission, diverted “assets for public relations purposes” and made politically-driven decisions when it came to distributing relief efforts, ProPublica and NPR report:

Wag the NYT Stenographer Dwyer

True News Published A Picture Editorial 3 Day Before Dwyer That Stable Money Can Better Be Spent On the Homeless

True News Wags the NYP On Lobbyists Ickes Other NYC Clients But Left Out Bus Contract Connection to de Blasio Senate Funding

The Post's Writer Richard Calder Even Started to Follow True News On Twitter Yesterday Afternoon

De Blasio’s lobbyistpal has collected $862K since 2014 (NYP) A longtime pal of Mayor de Blasio has collected $862,550 as a lobbyist for 14 clients since the mayor took office in 2014 — compared to $61,305 off a single client the previous 12 years, according to city records. Harold Ickes operated out of Washington, DC, and didn’t even have a New York office until after de Blasio ­ascended to power. They include the American Beverage Association, which has shelled out $180,000 trying to limit Health Department restrictions on sugary drinks; JPMorganChase, which paid $172,500 in a failed bid to win subsidies to build new headquarters on the Far West Side; AEG Live, which shelled out $150,000 before scoring a permit to host a music festival on Randalls Island; and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1181-1061, which spent $42,000 before Ickes delivered $42 million in taxpayer funds to boost private-bus driver salaries. When asked about Ickes’ influence at City Hall, mayoral spokesman Peter Kardushin said: “Every day, individuals lobby New York City on a broad range of issues. All decisions by the de Blasio administration are made on the merits.” *

It sure pays to be Mayor de Blasio’s pal (NYP Ed) Harold Ickes is the new poster boy for how well it pays to be pals with Mayor de Blasio. As The Post’s Rich Calder reports today, Ickes — a longtime de Blasio friend — has seen his City Hall lobbying income soar under this mayor. In the entire Bloomberg era, Ickes got just $61,305 to lobby City Hall. In the two de Blasio years, he’s raked in a whopping $862,550. JP Morgan Chase paid him $172,500 to try to win city subsidies. The American Beverage Association paid him $180,000 to head off restrictions on soda sales. No lobbyists can guarantee results. But Ickes sure delivers high-level access: He and his business partner had a 90-minute dinner with the mayor and his wife in 2014 — just to discuss JP Morgan Chase. And some clients win big: A private bus-drivers union sent $42,000 to Ickes and got $42 million in taxpayer funds to boost the drivers’ pay. “It appears that ‘pay to play’ is very much alive and well in the de Blasio adminstration,” says NYC Parks Advocates’ Geoffrey Croft. “I guess in hindsight, it really shouldn’t surprise anyone that AEG Live got preferential treatment.” To be fair, Ickes delivers better results than the mayor himself. For all the help real-estate mogul Steve Nislick gave de Blasio’s 2013 campaign, he still hasn’t gotten his big ask: a shutdown of the West Side carriage-horse stables on a parcel he longs to develop. The mayor’s failed to shut down the carriage industry — and his new deal to bribe the horse-cabbies into taxpayer-paid Central Park stables is already falling apart. The proposal’s under fire from the carriage drivers, the animal-rights nuts, Central Park stewards and good-government types. If de Blasio still manages to push it through, it deserves attention from US Attorney Preet Bharara — who’s pretty good at exposing corrupt quid pro quos.

From True News Yesterday

The NYP Ickes de Blasio's School Bus Pay to Play $40,000 for Campaign for 1NY and $100,000 for Senate Dems

Mayor de Blasio’s secret cash gifts (NYP July 23, 2014) On Tuesday, The Post’s Carl Campanile reported that several school-bus operators funneled $40,000 to the Campaign for One New York. This is the nonprofit founded by de Blasio allies after his election as mayor and devoted to promoting his agenda. * What's driving political donations(CrainsNY)Last month, a man named Alexis Lodde made a $100,000 donation to a Hudson Valley Democratic Party account. It was an exceptional gift from a Texan who until recently had never made a political contribution in New York. The donation came less than two months after employees at certain bus companies, including one owned by Mr. Lodde's firm, were given a $42 million grant pushed through by Mayor Bill de Blasio. Employees at Mr. Lodde's company are expected to be among the largest beneficiaries. The Daily News reported that Mr. de Blasio and associates raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the obscure campaign account—the Putnam County Democratic Committee, whose chairman quickly transferred $433,000 to help two Democratic state Senate candidates. The $42 million allows them to pay competitive salaries after having won the contracts with low bids. "It makes it possible for the companies to have labor peace," said Ms. Kellermann. MV Transportation had been a target of vandalism during a 2013 school-bus strike over its labor contracts.

Lobbyist Ickes Other NY City Clients

Mayor's old pal wins new biz as lobbyist (CrainsNY) For a City Hall 'in,' clients turn to DC power Harold Ickes. A few months ago, Mayor Bill de Blasio rushed a union-backed bill through the City Council that handed $42 million in public funds to privately employed school-bus workers. Even some labor-friendly lawmakers questioned the precedent set by taxpayer-funded raises for workers at the low-wage bus companies. Harold Ickes, a former top Clinton administration official, had long been a fixture in the center of the lobbying universe: Washington, D.C. But since his protégé Mr. de Blasio's election last November—a victory aided by Mr. Ickes—the lobbyist has found new business opportunities in the Big Apple. Soon after vetting administration hires as a member of Mr. de Blasio's transition team, Mr. Ickes opened a New York branch of his lobbying firm, the Ickes &amp; Enright Group. He and his employees have since lobbied a dozen de Blasio administration officials for a rapidly growing number of clients. Mr. Ickes also separately pushed legislation that led to the bus drivers' $42 million windfall. In recent months, the Ickes &amp; Enright Group has signed a number of clients seeking to influence local government, such as the American Beverage Association, JPMorgan Chase, MasterCard, North Shore-LIJ Health System, entertainment company AEG Live, office supplier Canon Solutions America and prekindergarten advocacy group Los Angeles Universal Preschool. At the same time, the 75-year-old Mr. Ickes remains a key de Blasio political adviser. Both men worked for David Dinkins' 1989 mayoral campaign, and drew closer when they worked for the Clinton* De Blasio’s lobbyist friend was the Clinton administration’s ‘Garbage Man’ (NYP) Lobbyist and longtime Mayor de Blasio pal Harold Ickes earned an infamous nickname during his years as a highly partisan political operative in President Bill Clinton’s White House: The Garbage Man. “Ickes has been caught up in so many of Clinton’s scandals and crises that he came to describe his function in the White House as ‘director of the sanitation department,’” author Michael Lewis wrote in a 1997 profile of the key Clinton aide. Ickes’ main job was to get people together in a room and figure out what to tell the public and congressional investigators about the “garbage” — also known as the scandals over Bubba’s fund-raising, sexual dalliances and other tawdry episodes. These days, Ickes is earning his keep as a lobbyist who spends a lot of time with de Blasio — and rakes in the dough doing so. “Bill has referred to Harold as his ‘political surrogate father,’ ” the source said. “He clearly is a mentor in every way.” The son of the late Harold L. Ickes, who was secretary of the interior under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, he has kept a high profile as a powerful lawyer, lobbyist and political advisor.

de Blasio Supporter Lobbyists Ickes Gets OK for Massive Music Fest

Ickes Donates $13,000 to de Blasio and the Mayor Delivers the Lobbyists Client An Island

Harold M. Ickes, a longtime friend and mentor of Mayor Bill de Blasio, delivered about $13,000 in donations last week to the mayor’s re-election campaign, on the day that one of his lobbying clients received the de Blasio administration’s go-ahead to hold a lucrative music festival in New York City. Mr. Ickes, a veteran political counselor best known for advising the Clinton family, had been paid $150,000 by A.E.G. Live, a concert promoter based in California, to lobby the city as it vied for permission to hold a summer festival in FlushingMeadows-CoronaPark. Last week, the company’s Queens application was rejected, along with those of two rival promoters, after local opposition. Instead, A.E.G. Live was given clearance to hold a festival in July on RandallsIsland; its rivals, MadisonSquareGarden and Founders Entertainment, did not receive similar permission to hold their events.* * After de Blasio announced a plan to shrink the horse-carriage trade in Manhattan and relocate its animals into Central Park, a number of groups have expressed their dissatisfaction, the Times writes:

De Blasio OKs massive music fest for cronies’ pal after denying others (NYP) Mayor de Blasio has quietly cut a deal allowing a concert promoter linked to one his cronies to host a multi-day major music festival on Randall’s Island — only after city officials simultaneously nixed similar proposals in Queens. AEG Live — which runs the Coachella concert series in California — will now host its “Panorama Festival” on Randall’s Island July 24 to 26 through a deal confirmed by the Parks Department Monday. MadisonSquareGarden, Founders Entertainment and AEG had previously submitted similar applications to shut down FlushingMeadowsCoronaPark in Queens for large for-profit mega festivals. However, Borough President Melinda Katz and community leaders argued for more transparency in the city’s permit process, ultimately leading to all of the Flushing Meadows’ applications being tossed. Unlike its competitors, which were left empty handed, AEG had a politically connected ace in the hole in lobbyist Harold Ickes and that led to the Randall’s Island deal being ironed out behind closed doors, sources said. AEG Live since 2014 has shelled out $150,000 to Ickes, a longtime mentor to the mayor, to help garner support to put on a major New York show. Ickes also served on de Blasio’s transition team, so he played a role in the March 2014 hiring of Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver, who signs off on all park permits.

Harold Ickes both advises Bill de Blasio, and lobbies him (CrainsNY) A few months ago, Mayor Bill de Blasio rushed a union-backed bill through the City Council that handed $42 million in public funds to privately employed school-bus workers. Even some labor-friendly lawmakers questioned the precedent set by taxpayer-funded raises for workers at the low-wage bus companies. Behind the scenes, one of the country's pre-eminent political fixers had spent months laying the groundwork for the bill, lobbying records show. Harold Ickes, a former top Clinton administration official, had long been a fixture in the center of the lobbying universe: Washington, D.C. But since his protégé Mr. de Blasio's election last November—a victory aided by Mr. Ickes—the lobbyist has found new business opportunities in the Big Apple. Soon after vetting administration hires as a member of Mr. de Blasio's transition team, Mr. Ickes opened a New York branch of his lobbying firm, the Ickes &amp; Enright Group. He and his employees have since lobbied a dozen de Blasio administration officials for a rapidly growing number of clients. Mr. Ickes also separately pushed legislation that led to the bus drivers' $42 million windfall. In recent months, the Ickes &amp; Enright Group has signed a number of clients seeking to influence local government, such as the American Beverage Association, JPMorgan Chase, MasterCard, North Shore-LIJ Health System, entertainment company AEG Live, office supplier Canon Solutions America and prekindergarten advocacy group Los Angeles Universal Preschool. At the same time, the 75-year-old Mr. Ickes remains a key de Blasio political adviser. Both men worked for David Dinkins' 1989 mayoral campaign, and drew closer when they worked for the Clintons. "He knows the [de Blasio] administration well, so it makes sense he would look to expand his business," said Sid Davidoff, a veteran lobbyist who is also considered tight with the mayor. Questioned about their ties at a press conference last week, Mr. de Blasio called Mr. Ickes a "dear friend," but insisted that their relationship would not affect policy decisions * Lobbyists spent $109.8 million to influence state government over the first six months of 2014—a 4 percent increase from the same time period a year ago—with the state teachers union spending the most, followed by anti-gambling interests and a group pushing for public campaign financing, the Daily News reports:

A Shadow Government King

The Lobbyists for the Developer of the Library Hudson Companies is the Same Lobbyists for the Developer of the Hospital James F. Capalino &amp; Associates, Inc.

Bill de Blasio fund-raisers are big time lobbyists (NYDN) Spokeswoman for mayoral rival Joe Lhota says the lobbyists on de Blasio's host committee for his $1 million fund-raiser with Hillary Clinton show his 'hypocrisy' as 'he takes cash from developers and special interests. The host committee included James Capalino, who has lobbied for Rudin Management, developers of high-end condos near the old St. Vincent’s Hospital, and lobbyist Suri Kasirer, who met with de Blasio on Brooklyn’s contentious Atlantic Yards project.

"The secret government" or "the invisible government," an idea based on the notion that real and actual political power does not reside with publicly elected representatives but with private individuals who are exercising power behind the scenes, beyond the scrutiny of democratic institutions. According to this belief, the official elected government is in reality subservient to the shadow government who are the true executive power.

Not On City Employee Has Been Indicted . . . Not One Reform Has Been Put in Place to Stop Corrupt Contracts

"The
city did little to prevent their brazen schemes," Judge Daniels said,
calling the city's current contracting process an "invitation not just
for corruption but for waste and fraud." "Until significant reforms are
instituted ... criminal prosecutions of fraud against the city will
continue," the judge said. In November, a jury found the trio guilty of
siphoning away nearly $100
million associated with CityTime in a kickback and money laundering
scheme that Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara called "one of the
most brazen frauds" in city history. Mazer, 50, directed millions to
crooked staffing companies, then took kickbacks through overseas bank
accounts.

He
gobbled up about $30 million in just five years. Denault, 52, who
worked on CityTime as a bigwig with contractor S.A.I.C., had a similar
con. With Mazer and Denault running the show, the project, budgeted at
$63 million in 1998, ballooned to over $600 million.Denault took secret
cash kickbacks below a Manhattan massage parlor,
and defendants stored more than a million dollars in cash in safe
deposit boxes on Long Island, jurors heard in the month-long trial. In
all, eight people have been convicted in connection with the scam. Our Juan Gonzalez's column:
"By slapping stiff 20-year sentences on the main CityTime project
thieves, Manhattan Federal Judge George Daniels sent some clear messages
Monday to the burgeoning world of government computer contracts. First:
Crooked IT consultants can’t simply rip off taxpayers for millions of
dollars and then expect to get treated lightly. Second: City officials
failed miserably in doing oversight and need to revamp how they hold
their consultants accountable."

Holtzman Should Give the City Her Lobbying Fees From From the Corrupt Citytime

Ms. Holtzman's lobbying firm was paid $120,000 in
2009, $90,000 in 2010, and $200,000 in 2011 by SAIC, the maker of
CityTime, to lobby New York City politicians in order to keep NYC.gov
paying CityTime's huge cost overruns. Eventually, it was estimated that
SAIC over-billed New York City by $600 million, and Ms. Holtzman was one
of the principal lobbyist being paid to keep that gravy train rolling.
Her lobbying firm was paid $410,000 to keep the CityTime gravy train
rolling into Ms. Holtzman's station. Holzman lobbied Borough
President - Queens, NYC Council Members. Comptroller's Office, Office
of Management &amp; Budget (OMB), Office of The Mayor (OTM), Office
of the Contract Service. The city's lobbying database shows a small army
of former prominent
city officials who did work for SAIC and Technodyne. Defense contractor
SAIC has retained former City Comptroller Liz Holtzman, Peter Powers,
who served as Mayor Giuliani's top deputy Mayor for operations, and Seth
Kaye, who worked in both the Giuliani and Bloomberg administrations.
Technodyne's lobbyists include former Bloomberg Department of
Information Technology and Telecommunications Commissioner Gino Menchini
and Agostino Cangemi, who also held key posts in both administrations.
National Strategies, the lobbying firm that employs Menchini and
Cangemi, says the firm had no role in CityTime and discontinued working
"on general business procurement" for Technodyne as soon as the criminal
allegations surfaced. (Another Technodyne lobbyist of record, Sal
Salamone, was director of the Mayor’s Office of Computer Planning and
has worked for SAIC.)

Lobbyists Firm Put Patterson On the Payroll of the Same Firm That Works for the Koch Brothers

In Addition to Paying Paterson Mercury Public Affairs Works for the Right Wing Koch Brothers PACand For Progressive Council

Member Margaret Chin And they Bag Millions from City Contracts

Paterson’s payday, for a ‘public relations problem’(Capital) Former Governor David Paterson was paid at least $386,000 in 2013 to consult for various interest groups, including $50,000 to help a Republican-linked firm handle a “public relations problem” for one of its clients, records show. Paterson, the recently named chairman of the Democratic state committee, was paid between $50,000 and $75,000 from Mercury LLC, according to a 2013 financial disclosure form, filed with the state's ethics watchdog. The communications firm was founded by Pataki administration veterans, who along with Paterson were tight-lipped on the exact nature of Paterson's consulting.Chin Campaign paid Mercury over 100,000

Mercury is the Contractor for Hewlett-Packer Which Worked in the Problem Pledged 911 System

Both Mercury and George Artz have been lobbyists for Hewlett-Packard which was the main contractor of the city's 911 emergency system that crashes a lot. The city 911 system is now being sued by the parents of 4-year-old Ariel Russo who claim she died because an ambulance to take the little girl to the hospital was delayed by a 911 crash. Arzt is also the flack for Excell's One 57 that got tax breaks from Albany to build a 75-story luxury skyscraper. One57 tax break is contributing to pushing the middle class our of Manhattan and raising rents in Brooklyn. Parkside got away with making millions off of the council's member items and slush fund. The Advance Group according to a series written by CrainsNY used its control of PAC to be on more than one side in a race, even working against clients who hired his firm. Berlin Rosen worked for the same client, Bruce Ratner as indicted Melvin Lowe and convicted Kruger flack Richard J Lipsky promising affordable housing where none exists today. * Special interest groups spend $210M lobbying state, local governments (NYDN) Cigarette giant Alria Client Services spend the most- $3 million- in 2013 to fight a tobacco display ban in New York City. At least two Republican-dominated firms with close ties to Democratic Gov. Cuomo experienced booming business in 2013, the lobbying report showed.Park Strategies — headed by former U.S. Sen. Alfonse D'Amato — saw its total compensation grew by 61.9% in 2013 over 2012. Mercury Public Affairs, whose partner, Michael McKeon, is a former communications director for ex-Gov. George Pataki and a prominent figure in Republicans for Cuomo, saw a compensation jump of 25% in 2013.

Stanley Schlein Works Free for Arroyos, Illegal Contribution?Bronx Councilwoman Maria del Carmen Arroyo paid more
than $55,000 to her son to help her re-election campaign, continuing to
pay him through December of this year even though she had an
non-competitive general election. “The hefty payout consumed half of the
$102,256 in private funds raised by the third-term Democrat,” the Post noted.*
Arroyo family made $55G on City Council run http://nyp.st/1iugLz1@nyccfb Isn't this illegal if you forbid family members from being paid?

Deep Throat: Follow the Lobbyists $$$Letters from New York City and state
politicians bashing nutritional supplement company Herbalife are raising
questions about if the officials played a role in a hedge fund
manager’s campaign to drive down the company’s stock price, the Daily News writes: They
are the kinds of letters often written by elected officials. But these
letters by City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Councilwoman
Julissa Ferreras and State Sen. Adriano Espaillat are raising questions
whether the officials played a role in a campaign to drive down the
stock price of a nutritional supplement company.* Espaillat
(D-Manhattan) said there was evidence that Herbalife is "an
illegal pyramid scheme." Mark-Viverito (D-Manhattan) and Ferreras
(D-Queens) cited allegations the company is an "abusive pyramid scheme."
The letters were sent at the same time that hedge funder William Ackman
was organizing Hispanic officials around the country to pressure
regulators to investigate the company. Local political operative Luis
Miranda and two local non-profits, the
Hispanic Federation and Make the Road New York, were all hired as part
of the Ackman campaign to encourage local pols to look into Herbalife’s
practices, the Times reported.* Gerson Borrero
‏@GersonBorrero

Lobbyists Pitta Bishop Del Giorno Which Already Control the City Council Is Seeking To Also Take Over GOP Clubs and BOE

New Boss Same As the Old Boss

Pitta &amp; Giblin LLP Sponsor of our Annual Columbus DayDinner (Queens Village Republic Club) The members of the Queens Village Republican Club wish to extend our warmest thanks to Robert Bishop, a partner at the lawfirm, Pitta Bishop, Del Giorno, Giblin LLP for the generous donation from his lawfirm, to sponsor our annual Columbus Day Dinner on Oct. 2nd at the Knights of Columbus, St. Annes Council in Glen Oaks. Giulani Saving the Bronx GOP* The Bronx Republican Party will host a fundraising golf outing to fill its coffers Wednesday at the acclaimed Saint Andrews Golf Club in Westchester County with special guest former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, the Daily News reports:

After
paying a $2 million dollar fine as part of the pension scandal, Global
Strategy Now is the Bag Man for A Wall Street hedge fund scheme. Using connections made as a political consultant and lobbyists to cash in on Wall Street

Gordon Gekko Global
The
Global Strategy Group, a longtime consultant to Mr. Ackman. Global
Strategy Group, a consulting firm helping began to make such payments, including about $120,000 to the
Hispanic Federation and another $10,000 to Make the Road New York.
Global Strategies Group, whose CEO Jon Silvan will pay $2 million for
serving unlicensed broker. Global, which did work for former Gov. Elliot
Spitzer,
is said to have received $1.3 million for helping facilitate pension
fund investments in private equity funds managed by two firms. * Hevesi fallout widens to include Rattner, Global Strategy Group(Politico) * Quadrangle and Global Strategies settle with Cuomo(NYDN)

Team de Blasio Connected to NYU OK Expansion . . . Now Want Payback for the Elected Officials $$

De Blasio’s NYU appointments may ‘influence’ expansion approval (NYP) An ivory tower has been erected at City Hall — with Mayor de Blasio appointing so many NYU-connected officials to top-tier jobs that advocates fear the university’s controversial development projects will be rubber-stamped. Last week, de Blasio named professor Vicki Been head of the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development, the agency charged with housing the city’s neediest residents. Been and her hubby, Richard Revesz, who was dean of NYU’s law school for 11 years, owe the university $6.4 million for sweetheart mortgages on their West Village town house and Connecticut vacation home. De Blasio’s first deputy mayor is former NYULangoneMedicalCenter honcho Anthony Shorris, who made $1 million as both a vice dean and hospital chief of staff.

The mayor also tapped former Trinity Real Estate President Carl Weisbrod as chair of the City Planning Commission. Weisbrod, who served in the Lindsay, Koch and Dinkins administrations, was an academic chair at the NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate. The city’s new corporation counsel, ex-US Attorney Zachary Carter, is an NYU Law trustee. “It looks like the fix is in,” said a community activist who refused to be identified for fear of retaliation by NYU. “People are afraid [the university] will have undo influence.” NYU is also a revolving door for politicos between jobs. Mayoral contender and former MTA chair Joe Lhota replaced Shorris earlier this year at NYU Langone. Brad Gair, who worked as a disaster-recovery manager in the mayor’s office, took a job with NYU Langone this week.

SKDKnickerbocker Making Money Off of Puerto Rico's Bankruptcy Works In Top NY Elected Officials Campaigns

City lawyers, consultants cash in on Puerto Rico’s bankruptcy (NYP) SKDKnickerbocker, the powerful Manhattan communications and public-affairs firm, was retained by Puerto Rico to handle public relations and marketing at a cost of up to $3.4 million, including $500,000 for advertising. Influential lobbyist Jennifer Cunningham is the point person in six of the seven Knickerbocker contracts with Puerto Rico, records show. Cunningham, pal to Gov. Cuomo and former wife of Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, is a former honcho with SEIU Local 1199, the giant health-care-workers union based in Manhattan. Some of Puerto Rico’s contracts with Knickerbocker, like with other firms, were amended and the payment caps increased. The contract ­totals were confirmed by Puerto Rico’s Office of the Comptroller. Yet Knickerbocker VP Barbara Morgan, speaking also for MillCo, Cleary Gottlieb and the Puerto Rican government, insisted to The Post that the contract figures listed on the comptroller’s Web site were inaccurate. “The documents referenced do not reflect the payments made to these firms; they only represent the potential costs of the contracts,” said Morgan, former spokeswoman for Rep. Anthony Weiner’s mayoral race.

Just don't call these consultants lobbyists (CrainsNY) They move government without having to disclose their activities. Call them clever, call them stealthy. Jennifer Cunningham was at the top of her game four years ago when she announced she would leave the lobbying business. Her stated reason: "to avoid even the appearance of a conflict" of interest that could be damaging to the political allies she had just helped get elected, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. Since deregistering as a lobbyist, however, Ms. Cunningham has remained as active as ever. She has represented health care businesses before Mr. Schneiderman and met with Mr. Cuomo on behalf of a lobbying group seeking to pass marriage-equality legislation, according to records obtained by Crain's. But she has operated largely in the shadows, maintaining her access to elected officials without having to disclose activities that could lead to unwanted attention. Ms. Cunningham is part of a growing industry of strategic consultants who do not register as lobbyists yet nonetheless have close ties with New York politicians and represent clients (including elected officials) with interests before the government. These nonlobbyists—at firms such as SKDKnickerbocker, or SKDK, and BerlinRosen—get many of the lucrative paychecks accorded their registered peers without the hassles and scrutiny that come with having to disclose their frequent interactions. And it's legal. * Power in Money: When is lobbying in NY not lobbying? In the case of SKDKnickerbocker, it received $1.2 million to help run campaigns since 2010, including more than $155,000 from the Monroe County Democratic Committee, which was then headed by Assembly Majority Leader Joseph Morelle, D-Irondequoit. The firm isn’t registered as a lobbying firm. It is run by Jennifer Cunningham, a former campaign adviser to Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the ex-wife of Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. Cunningham said that she would no longer lobby because of her close ties to both powerful leaders after they were elected to their respective posts in 2010. Another firm, Mercury Public Affairs, received $1 million last year to run a Jobs for New York campaign funded by New York City business interests to aid Republican state Senate candidates, including upstate and in the HudsonValley. It also has a prominent lobbying firm, including work for the Committee to Save New York in 2011 and 2012. * 'Firewall' bill vs.lobbyists: Campaign consultants would no longer be allowed to turn around andlobby those they help elect (NYDN) * Gamblings Genting employs SKD Knickerbocker (CrainsNY)

__________________________________

Breaking Ethics Law Widespread

Speakers Candidates and Lobbyists Breaking City's Ethic Law

AdvanceGateCorruption Poster BoySpeakers Candidate and Lobbyists Breaking the City's Ethic Law New York City Councilwoman Melissa
Mark-Viverito may have violated city ethics rules by accepting unpaid
assistance from the Advance Group, a lobbing firm, to further her
candidacy for Council speaker, the Daily News reportsAnd the lobbying firm, the Advance Group, may have violated the rules by
providing the free advice to the councilwoman, Melissa Mark-Viverito
(D-East Harlem). The Advance Group, run by Scott Levenson, helped Mark-Viverito prep for
debate forums, set up meetings with county Democratic leaders and
network with the Council members whose votes she needs. CrainsNY
also reported Mark-Viverito is getting help by two other consultant
lobbyists firms, Bishop Pitta Del Giorno and the Mirram Group. The
first two have deep labor connections, while the latter has ties in the
Hispanic community and in upper Manhattan and the Bronx. Ms. Mark-Viverito was escorted around Brooklyn's Thomas Jefferson
Democratic Club recently by Michael Cohen, a Bishop Pitta consultant,
according a source in attendance. Mr. Cohen has retained an attorney in
relation to the indictment of Democratic political consultant Melvin
Lowe but says he's not in the complaint.
* Will the Advance Group Decide the Speakers Race, Lobbyists Advance
and Parkside Broke the City's Ethic Laws by Running IE PACs

Is the Parkside Group Giving Free Advice to Weprin? Is Berlin Rosen Working for Free With Garodnick?

As
a public servant, Mark-Viverito is prohibited by the City Charter
from accepting a “valuable gift” from a firm that intends to do business
with the city. And lobbyists, in turn, are prohibited from giving
those gifts. Under the City Charter, a “public servant” found in
violation of the
rule can be fined up to $25,000. And someone providing that improper
assistance could be slapped with a $5,000 fine for an initial violation.
A spokesman for Mark-Viverito on Tuesday minimized the extent of the
Advance Group’s help. * * The Daily News urges the New York City Council to disqualify Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito from
consideration for Council speaker for “blatantly” violating ethics rules
by soliciting unpaid assistance from a lobbyist

Advance PACs Broke the City's Ethics Law by Running NYCLASS and Other PACsLobbyist the Advance Group Violated the City Election Law When the PAC they were running NYCLASS Game Money to Melissa
Mark-Viverito and Paul Vallone. The other PACs Advance worked for United for A Future and Citizen Action gave gifts of money to several council members. The City Charter states: “No public servant shall accept any valuable
gift . . . from any person or firm” who “is or intends to become engaged
in business dealings with the city.” CrainsNY on the Advance Groups Double Dipping

Lobbyist Parkside Broke the Ethic By Running Jobs4NY

The
political action committee run by the Parkside Group, backed by the
city’s strongest landlord
organization, the Real Estate Board of New York, has doled out $7
Million for
City Council candidates. The City Charter states. Parkside Jobs4NY gave
gifts in the form of cash to the following council members: Chin,
Levine, Dickens, King, Cabera, Gibson, Vallone, Prentzas, Lancman,
Cumbo, Torres, Espinal, Maisel, Treyger, Mattero, Cohen (16 Members)
“No public servant shall accept any valuable
gift . . . from any person or firm” who “is or intends to become engaged
in business dealings with the city.” That covers both Parkside and REBNY

Have the Progressive Caucus Also Violated the City Ethic Law By Asking A Lobbyist to Work for Free ?

From the NYT: "The caucus asked a labor official, Alison Hirsh, the political director
of 32BJ, the union of janitors and doormen, to negotiate with the county
chairmen, other council members and speaker candidates on its behalf."
Alison Hirsh, who is a registered lobbyist. The progressive has not registered with the BOE and CFB to legally hire a lobbyist.

Corrupt Lobbyist Schlien Worked Illegally for Arroyos

Stanley Schlein Works Free for Arroyos, Illegal Contribution?Bronx Councilwoman Maria del Carmen Arroyo paid more
than $55,000 to her son to help her re-election campaign, continuing to
pay him through December of this year even though she had an
non-competitive general election. “The hefty payout consumed half of the
$102,256 in private funds raised by the third-term Democrat,” the Post noted.*
Arroyo family made $55G on City Council run http://nyp.st/1iugLz1@nyccfb Isn't this illegal if you forbid family members from being paid?

Council Ignores Comptrollers 911 Contract Investigation
Until
last June, response time was calculated from the moment a 911 call was
transferred to the appropriate dispatcher. Under that method, ambulance
response time was 6 minutes 47 seconds, according to city stats. The
city’s new 911 system — which routes all calls through a central set
of dispatchers — has drawn fire from critics who say it increases
response times and experiences frequent glitches.

Media Never Names the Lobbyist Who Made Money on the Broken 911 System

Both
Mercury and George Artz have been lobbyists for Hewlett-Packard which
was the main contractor of the city's 911 emergency system that crashes a
lot. The city 911 system is now being sued by the parents of 4-year-old
Ariel Russo who claim she died because an ambulance to take the little
girl to the hospital was delayed by a 911 crash. Among the lobbyists to
get paid by the city’s broken 911 system contractors was George Arzt,
Mercury Public Affairs, LLC, Jennifer Carlson, Peter Barden, Jonathan
Greenspun, Michael McKeon, Kasirer Consulting LLC. More on Corrupt Lobbyists More on Dark Pool Corrupt Lobbyists

Dead Girl and Lobbyist Still Rake In 911

Last June 4th year old Ariel Russo died shortly aftergetting hit by an SUV.There had been a
four-minute delay in dispatching the ambulance to take the little girl to the
hospital. The city is blaming 911 operation human errors for the delay.The union leader of the 911 operators is
blaming the new troubled $2 billion dollars upgrade that the city is
installing. The city’s upgrade of the 911 system has not gone very well.It has been hunted by system crashes, wrong
addresses and over a billion and a half dollar cost overrun.It is now up to a jury to find out who is
really at fault for the girls death.

More Evidence That Arzt Protects and Causes Bad Government

In 2009 Juan Gonzalez wrote in the Daily NewsCity officials were unhappy with Hewlett Packard Company. By 2006, ECTP was suffering from so many problems that Mayor Bloomberg assigned his chief troubleshooter, Deputy Mayor Ed Skyler, to supervise it. In 2007 HP hired George Arzt to lobby Skyler on communications. 2013 the family of Ariel Russo, the 4-year-old who was killed by an unlicensed driver is suing the city because they believe a flawed 911 system led to the death of their daughter. The Russo lawsuit says there was a four-minute delay in sending an ambulance to the scene of the crash because of problem with the 911 system. NYC's already beleaguered 911 system crashes again and again — and again(NYDN)More on Corrupt Lobbyists Arzt

Even
though the press says HP was replaced on the 911 project John Liu’s report said
that HP was still working on the project and got paid over $300 million in 2012
for their work. In 2010 thru 2011 when
the city council was going after problems in the 911 system, HP hired Kasirer
Consulting LLC and paid them over $200,000 to lobby city hall for the company.Mercury Public Affairs public affairs have
been working on the project for Intergraph Corp since 2007.Before Intergraph hired Sal Salamone as a
lobbyist in 2006 to 2008 ($100,000) Salamone worked for the city on the
Citytime project until he was let go after the corruption and cost overruns
become know on that project, in which Liz Holtzman was one of the lobbyists
that cashed in.It had to get through
the fog surrounding the 911 contracts.Last month Bloomberg lauded Comptroller 911 audit he once called
'stupid.’ He even said there was nothing
wrong with the Hewlett-Packard contract and the city paid those most of the
money they requested. The mayor changed
him mind on Comptroller budget to stop a federal audit requested by DC 37’s
Lillian Roberts.* CM to lobbyist: "You're not really focused on safety, but on the perspective of drivers is that fair? Lobbyist: Yes.(WNYC) * In
2013 Mercury Public Affairs, which was running an independent spending
campaign funded by billionaire David Koch and others boosting Mr. de
Blasio's general-election opponent, Republican Joseph Lhota.

In 2009 Juan Gonzalez wrote in the Daily NewsCity officials were unhappy with Hewlett Packard Company. By 2006, ECTP was suffering from so many problems that Mayor Bloomberg assigned his chief troubleshooter, Deputy Mayor Ed Skyler, to supervise it. In 2007 HP hired George Arzt to lobby Skyler on communications. 2013 the family of Ariel Russo, the 4-year-old who was killed by an unlicensed driver is suing the city because they believe a flawed 911 system led to the death of their daughter. The Russo lawsuit says there was a four-minute delay in sending an ambulance to the scene of the crash because of problem with the 911 system. NYC's already beleaguered 911 system crashes again and again — and again(NYDN)More on Corrupt Lobbyists Arzt

The
soccer league spent a total of $1.7 million through five lobbying
firms, according to the city clerk’s office. Major League Soccer paid
$1.1 million to HR&amp;A Advisors, $307,800 to
the Global Strategy Group, $190,804 to Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver
&amp; Jacobson LLP, $67,500 to Bolton-St. Johns and $37,500 to
Beaudoin
&amp; Company.

Michael ‏@powellnyt Consultants and favored PR firms form a powerful and growing shadow government in NYS. Pols trying to cover that up

Just don't call these consultants lobbyists(CrainsNY) They move government without having to disclose their activities. Call them clever, call them stealthy.Like Ms. Cunningham, Mr. Rosen is not a registered lobbyist. Yet he regularly meets with government officials. The mayor's schedule from his first five months in office shows Mr. Rosen was in at least nine meetings and on two calls.BerlinRosen understands how issues play out in the public sphere, its clients say.

Last spring, Pledge 2 Protect raised nearly $429,000 between April and
October and spent more than $131,000 on mailers telling Upper East Side
voters which 2013 candidates supported and opposed the transfer station.
After Mr. de Blasio won the Democratic primary despite being targeted
by the group, leaders of Pledge 2 Protect met with a consulting firm,
Mercury Public Affairs, which was running an independent spending
campaign funded by billionaire David Koch and others boosting Mr. de
Blasio's general-election opponent, Republican Joseph Lhota.
Instead of opposing the heavily favored Mr. de Blasio in the general
election, however, Pledge 2 Protect hired the Advance Group, a
Manhattan-based Democratic consulting firm that had just run a $1
million campaign to sink de Blasio rival Christine Quinn. Pledge 2
Protect also hired Ms. Lewis, who shares an office with the Advance
Group and whose nonprofit is a client of it.

Al D'Amato
a lobbyist and fixer who began his career by requiring Town ofHempstead employees to illegally kick back 1 percent of their
salaries to his campaign coffers. He once took a $500,000 fee for
making one phone call to fix a MTA contract and his brother once
famously forged a letter on US Senate stationary for a lobby client.D'Amato is no position to lecture anyone about fitness for office

NY1 Pension Connection
Global Strategy Group is frequent on air consultant for NY1 along with
Carl McCall who was paid 50,000 by a pension investor for brokering a
deal with Comptroller Hevesi. NY1 operates a clock on their website on the number of days AG Cuomo has not appeared on their cable channel. Al D'amato is another NY1 lobbyist

Lobbyists rule Albany &amp; D'Amato is Example #1 of everything that is wrong. Reform is required to restore democracy

Elsewhere, he expressed "tremendous relief."In many ways, New York state politics is Al D'Amato's world; we just live in it. And Flanagan, the state's single most powerful Republican, is no exception to that rule.Yet, try as we might — and New Yorkers threw D'Amato out of the Senate 17 years ago — we just can't get rid of Fixer Fonz, whose booming lobbying firm now attracts $8 million a year in seduction fees, the second most of the licensed wirepullers in the state. He made several indirect appearances in the indictment of Dean Skelos, the third Senate majority leader he helped install. The charging documents describe a compliant Ed Mangano, the Nassau County executive — who let D'Amato speak at his inaugural, awarded the county's bus line to a D'Amato client and hired D'Amato's daughter — as a champion for the county environmental contract that Skelos is charged with fixing.

How Lobbyists and Campaign Contributors Run A Pay to Play Shadow Govt HQ @ City Hall

Daily News: Campaign filings show that while de Blasio spins his political maneuverings as attempts at enlightened compromises for public benefit, what he is really showing is that if you help him, he may go all out to help you

City’s top lobbyists living the high life thanks to de Blasio (NYP) Many of the city’s top-earning lobbyists are longtime allies of Mayor de Blasio and have significantly helped bolster his campaign coffers and the nonprofit fundraising arm that he uses to...James Capalino, Harold Ickes, Sid Davidoffand other politically connected lobbyists have seen their city-related business over the past two years skyrocket while scoring sweetheart deals and other positive results for clients after private sit-downs with the mayor, records show. For example, Capalino’s firm gave de Blasio’s nonprofit Campaign for One New York $10,000 in May — and the next day was granted face-time with the mayor at City Hall to discuss a City Council bill to eliminate chopper tours at the Downtown Manhattan heliport. On Jan.11, de Blasio’s longtime mentor, Ickes, helped client AEG Live score a controversial permit to host a Coachella-style major music festival on Randall’s Island — on the same day he bundled $13,000 in donations for the mayor’s re-election campaign.

Anti-horse-carriage lobbyistsSteve Nislickand Wendy Neu have donated $125,000 combined to de Blasio’s nonprofit — which doesn’t fall under campaign-finance law restrictions — and landed three meetings with Hizzoner through August. The huddles included a March 2 meeting that occurred three days after the lobbyists gave the nonprofit $50,000 each. Capalino – who records show had at least two other private meetings with the mayor through May of last year – led all city lobbyists in 2014, collecting $8.2 million in client fees. City records for the first nine months of last year show he’s on pace to topple that number, amassing nearly $8.3 million in fees — or nearly double the $4.6 million his firm amassed all of 2013 during the last year of the Bloomberg administration. His dozens of new clients include Uber, which wants to avoid further city-imposed regulations as it competes with the yellow-cab industry. It paid Capalino $150,000 the past two years to push its agenda

Davidoff Lobbyied for Astoria Cove Development OK Which Fell Short of the Mayor's Affordable Housing Goals

Sid Davidoff, another longtime de Blasio pal and fundraiser, got a face-to-face meeting with deBlasio in September 2014 to discuss his client, Hunts Point Terminal Market. Six months later, the mayor announced plans for a $150 million infrastructure upgrade there. Besides seeing his company’s City Hall work jump from $2.1 million during the last two years of the Bloomberg administration to $4.2 million 1 ¾ years into the de Blasio administration, Davidoff scored another private business session last May with de Blasio to discuss a “civil rights museum,” records show. He even convinced Hizzoner in April 2014 to perform his first City Hall wedding and marry him and his bride, Daily News columnist Linda Stasi. * James Capalino, Harold Ickes, Sid Davidoff and other top-earning lobbyists are allies of de Blasio and have helped bolster his campaign coffers and the nonprofit fundraising arm that he uses to push his progressive agenda, the Post reports: A Davidoff Lobbyists Project A de Blasio 'game changer' falls short of 421-a requirements (Capital) Astoria Cove, the premier mandatory affordable housing project of the de Blasio administration, will not qualify for a 421-a tax break under the newly passed version of the law. The Queens development,

Bill’s money gamespay off big for his friends (NYDN) A tale-of-two-cites divide has emerged between the mayor’s devoted service to campaign sponsors and that he provides to less connected outsiders. Tracking recent headlines offers a revealing glimpse of Bill de Blasio as transactional politician. Jan. 15: On the eve of a holiday weekend, the mayor released a $2 million report that City Hall had suppressed for two months. The document is a thank-you note to the yellow taxi industry, which poured at least $300,000 into de Blasio’s 2013 campaign and which is getting battered by competition from Uber, the high-tech car-for-hire service. In July, de Blasio called for slowing Uber’s growth on the grounds that its cars were worsening traffic congestion. Lacking evidence, he went the extra mile for the taxi barons by wasting the two mill on a consultant’s study that he hoped would prove him right. It proved him wrong.*

AG Eric Schneiderman has relaunched a website first created by then-AG Cuomo containing public information to match lobbying disclosures with specific legislation proposed and passed by state lawmakers.*Shades of John Lindsay disaster. Mayor 'Not Happy' with SnowClearing in Queens After Historic Storm via @Dnainfo * The carriage-horse fight exposes all of de Blasio’s weaknesses (NYP) The mayor is downsizing and moving the horses on traffic-safety grounds, but nobody from his administration could show that horses are in danger from having to commute. They couldn’t even say how many hours a day horses spend commuting. Asked for firm figures, a de Blasio minion said that “horses roam the streets in the Theater District,” as if it were the OK corral. She also said the city isn’t eliminating pedicabs from Central Park — which is, well, a lie. The city would ban the cabs from the only part of the park where they can get customers. Councilwoman Margaret Chin eventually said that we shouldn’t burden an entire industry “without any statistics.” But this is just a sign of the mayor’s factual fast-and-looseness.Naked subservience to special interests, not the public interest. If there’s no reason to lay off horses and move the rest to the park, why’s he doing it? The Post’s Rich Calder reports that anti-horse-carriage folk scored a meeting with the mayor this year just after giving his “nonprofit” a six-figure sum. The pedicab drivers? They don’t have that cash, so the mayor never met with them. This is how de Blasio operates. Whether it’s helicopter tours or “affordable” housing or controlling crowds from big corporate music “festivals,” the mayor follows the money.

Daily News Includes Nislick's NYCLASS Attacks On Quinn As Part of the Payoff For de Blasio Horse Stable Plan

Jan. 17: De Blasio announced that he had reached a supposed compromise in his drive to banish carriage horses from the city with a plan that includes spending as much as $25 million to build horse stables in Central Park. Before taking office, de Blasio vowed to destroy the carriage horse industry, only to be forced into surrender in the face of overwhelming public opposition and resistance from the City Council. But the mayor wasn’t done trying to help animal-rights activists who had hammered election rival Christine Quinn with nearly $1 million in attack ads during the mayoral campaign — and have followed up with donations to de Blasio’s advocacy fund, the Campaign for One New York. De Blasio spins his maneuverings as attempts at enlightened compromises for public benefit. Please.

In 2003, former U.S. Sen. Al D'Amato, now a leading lobbyist, vaulted into the headlines for earning $500,000 to place a single phone call on behalf of a client to the chairman of the MTA to save a deal that was said to be going sour. Four hundred thousand of that was a "success" bonus for putting the deal back on track. Shortly after, Republican John Flanagan, then a freshman senator with just five months on the job — and a new salaried employee of a law firm founded by D'Amato's brother -sponsored a bill designed to protect D'Amato. The Senate was about to vote on a Republican-backed bill that would extend lobbying disclosure requirements to state authorities like the MTA, whose chair sprung into action after D'Amato's entreaty. At the last minute, Flanagan introduced an alternative filled with poison pills. Not only did it exempt "vendor disputes," precisely what prompted D'Amato's half-million-dollar call, it required the lobbying commission to establish "intentionality" to penalize lobbyists who violated the statutes. Flanagan's sham bill, so rushed he had to handwrite the memo supporting it on the floor, conflicted with the Assembly bill that had already passed and finished off any effort at reform that year. No wonder that on NY1 shortly after Flanagan's recent elevation to Senate majority leader, D'Amato said: "I'm glad to see that John has taken the reins."

Lobbyists Miller Works for D'Amato and Lobbyist McCaughey BF Is A Leader of the Manhattan Institute Whose Lobbyist is D'Amato

Journalist Wayne Barrett Exposes the Media Cover-Up of Lobbyists D'Amato Corruption and Control of State Senate

Skelos is also accused of extorting a $100,000 no-show job for his son from Anthony Bonomo, whose two medical malpractice firms have combined to pay D'Amato's lobbying firm, Park Strategies, $795,000 since 2007. Bonomo has co-hosted political fundraisers with D'Amato, and his goldmine of campaign contributions, including $75,000 to Mangano and $400,000 to Gov. Cuomo, meticulously track D'Amato alliances. Bonomo just stepped down as the Cuomo-appointed chair of the New York Racing Association, and is singing to U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, who now leads a veritable chorus of cooperating crooners. Also harmonizing for Bharara in the Skelos case and the one against former Assembly Speaker Shelly Silver are top associates of developer Leonard Litwin and his Glenwood Management, both of which were once D'Amato clients and, like Bonomo, synchronized many of their political contributions with D'Amato. Litwin's real estate company paid Skelos' son directly and through the environmental firm, where it was a major investor. Both Bonomo and Litwin are among the few large donors to Renew New York, a PAC controlled by D'Amato that gave $25,000 to Mangano and bankrolls other D'Amato allies. D'Amato's connections to indicted senators don't end there.

Tom Libous, the Senate deputy majority leader whose son has already been convicted in a parallel case with the one against the senator that is scheduled to go to trial in July, is accused of lying about a law firm job he allegedly got for his son. When Libous wanted a bigger paycheck for his boy, a $50,000 bonus was allegedly funneled to the law firm through Fred Hiffa, an Albany lobbyist. Hiffa wound up leaving his own lobbying firm and is now a managing director of D'Amato's. But the recent D'Amato scandal connections don't all revolve around Albany. The FBI and state investigators hit the headlines in Buffalo recently when they raided the homes of three major political operatives, including Steve Pigeon and Steve Casey, both of whom work for one of D'Amato's biggest upstate clients, the Congel family, father-and-son mall developers.Their companies paid D'Amato $2.7 million in federal and state lobbying fees. Not only did D'Amato represent the Congel company on a troubled Rochester project, he represented the MonroeCounty government that backed it. In a separate 2013 investigation, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and the feds also raided the headquarters of the Shinnecock Nation, a Long Island-based tribe whose casino rights are controlled by Gateway Casino Resorts, another D'Amato client. * Sen. Kenneth LaValle, a Long Island Republican, has left his job at a law firm, though he said it had nothing to do with the swirl of controversies centering on lawmakers’ sources of outside income.

Barrett's Investigation of D'Amato's 'World That We Live In' Is A Reminder How Today's Journalism Has Failed New Yorkers

When picked in May by a narrow majority of the 32 Republicans in the Senate, Flanagan announced he was leaving the law firm that was paying him up to $150,000 a year. In the furor over Silver and Skelos' outside earnings, Flanagan's move was a welcome, if belated, acknowledgement of the potential conflicts.Flanagan's firm, Forchelli Curto, was founded in 1976 by Armand D'Amato, just as his brother was taking over as presiding supervisor of Hempstead, one of the most powerful positions in NassauCounty politics. When Al D'Amato beat Javits four years later, Armand's small firm, then named D'Amato Forchelli, quickly created a Washington office. Armand left the firm when he was convicted on federal fraud charges in 1993, but returned to it in 2002, seven years after his conviction was overturned. Armand, whose use of his brother's Senate stationary to write letters on Unisys' behalf was blasted by the Senate Ethics Committee, joined his brother's lobbying powerhousePark Strategies in 2004 (and Unisys became a Park client). Flanagan joined the Forchelli firm in 2003, a week after he took office in the state Senate. The Nassau-centric firm even opened an office in Suffolk for Flanagan, Armand and a couple of other attorneys. The firm's web archives detail hundreds of actions on behalf of specific clients, but, like Silver and Skelos at their firms, Flanagan isn't identified with any of them. More cachet than casework, he was, apparently, just another letterhead lawyer. The head of D'Amato's Long Island office, Robert McBride, organized fundraisers for Flanagan in 2006 and 2008, and Park officers and clients, including Litwin and Bonomo, gave tens of thousands.But Flanagan wasn't a shoo-in to replace Skelos after his ouster in May. John DeFrancisco was a strong contender. The Syracuse senator, who came within two votes, has said that Gov. Cuomo made calls to senators on Flanagan's behalf, but DeFrancisco, Cuomo, and D'Amato spokespeople declined to answer repeated questions about D'Amato's involvement. A source close to Flanagan says he was "not aware of any calls" D'Amato may have made and "wasn't in contact" with the lobbyist during the selection process. Other sources who closely tracked the selection say Cuomo did not want to look like he was picking a legislative leader, so ally D'Amato took over. It would hardly be a surprise — D'Amato has been a star player in the naming of the last three Republican majority leaders, Ralph Marino, Joe Bruno and Skelos. Flanagan backed medical marijuana, a departure from his history of introducing bills that banned other, less controversial, drugs, and DeFrancisco voted against it. D'Amato was paid enough in 2014 ($180,000) by one marijuana company, Ideal 420 Technologies, to pen an Op-Ed reversing his position on it, and now a long-term client, North Shore LI Jewish Health Systems, which has paid him up to $180,000 a year, says it will apply to become one of the state's five selected dispensaries for grass.DeFrancisco voted against authorizing three or four new casinos across the state and Flanagan backed it. * The political and business dealings of former Deputy Mayor of Buffalo Steve Casey and Rep. Chris Collins’ chief of staff Chris Grant as well as ties to political operative Steve Pigeon, drew the attention of investigators, The Buffalo News writes:

Gambling in NYS is A Sure Bet for Lobbyists D'Amato Clients

D'Amato has six clients that directly benefitted from the bill, with the Suffolk and Nassau Off-Track Betting Corporations written directly into the law, getting 1,000 video slots apiece even if the casino referendum failed. A third client, Yonkers Raceway, was terrified that its half-billion-dollar-a-year Westchester slot business would disintegrate if the Cuomo administration put a full casino in nearby OrangeCounty. (D'Amato saw no conflict between representing Yonkers and Greentrack, a company that applied to build an OrangeCounty casino.) D'Amato also represents Madison and Oneida counties, which were written into the casino law as well, the beneficiaries of a compact that Cuomo signed with the Oneida tribe granting them exclusive gaming rights in 10 counties. The tribe will pay Madison and Oneida $36 million up front, settling past tax claims against their existing casinos, and millions more in flat and percentage charges for decades to come. He ran up $3.5 million in total casino-related revenue from eight clients and $1.9 million from the Poker Players Alliance, the online gambling organization D'Amato now chairs, combining to make him the king of Albany's gaming insiders, a playground like no other in recent years. The casino issue, in fact, hovered over the Senate selection process. Three upstate senators who voted for Flanagan when they could have relocated the geographic power within the senate GOP to their own region — John Bonacic, Hugh Farley and Mike Nozzolio — got Cuomo-approved casinos in their district. A fourth of the six upstate pro-Flanagan senators, Cathy Young, is so close to Nozzolio that the two are seen in Albany as a team.

While the Cuomo siting board picked these three winners before the Flanagan vote, his Gaming Commission has yet to ratify the selections, adding to the leverage the governor brought to the table.With a senate leader beholden to him, a governor allied with him, a Nassau county executive in his pocket, and extraordinary lifelong ties to the father of U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Al D'Amato, dubbed Senator Shakedown decades ago, rules now without the accountability of a public office, a shadow cast across an already darkened capital.

CrainsNY Reporter Leaves Out of
the Story On Campaign Consultants That They Make Their Real Money As
Lobbyist, Given Special Deals From the People They Elect

As pols play musical chairs, consultants become the piper (CrainsNY) Term limits, public financing spark demand and dollars for
campaign pros. Election Day is nearly at hand, but the city's political
consultants already have dollar signs in their eyes for 2013. Term-limit
turnover has spawned competitive elections next year for all three citywide
offices—mayor, comptroller, public advocate—as well as for four of the five
borough president posts, two district attorney offices and about 25 City
Council seats.Not since 2001, when pols first vacated their long-held
seats, have there been so many elections—or as big a business opportunity for
the industry that endeavors to shape them.

The Big 8 as Lobbyists Do A Lot of Damage to New Yorkers

Both Mercury and
George Artz have been lobbyists for Hewlett-Packard which was the main
contractor of the city's 911 emergency system that crashes a lot. The city 911
system is now being sued by the parents of 4-year-old Ariel Russo who
claim she died because an ambulance to take the little girl to the hospital was
delayed by a 911 crash. Arzt is also the flack for Excell's One 57 that
got tax breaks from Albany to build a 75-story luxury skyscraper. One57 tax break
is contributing to pushing the middle class our of Manhattan and raising
rents in Brooklyn. Parkside got away with making millions off of the
council's member items and slush fund. The Advance Group according to a series
written by CrainsNY used its control of PAC to be on more than one side in a
race, even working against clients who hired his firm. Berlin Rosen
worked for the same client, Bruce Ratner as indicted Melvin Lowe and convicted
Kruger flack Richard J Lipsky promising affordable housing where none exists today.

.

Using PAC the Big 8 Has Gamed New York Democracy, By Controlling Elections

Parkside working
for The Real Estate Board of New York's PAC Jobs4NY worked for and against 35
candidates in the 20 competitive council races. The Advance Group working
through 4 PACs NYCLASS, United for the Future, Citizen Action and Hotel Workers
for A Strong Middle Class worked for 27 of candidates in the 20
competitive council campaigns. Of the 21 candidates supported by Parkside
Jobs4NY 17 were run by the big 8. Another candidate Dickens who had no race is
running for speaker and some Jobs4NY money went to a republican candidate. Of
the 44 council candidates supported by PAC in which Advance worked for or had a
relationship with 34 when to candidates run by the Big 8. Half of the
other 10 went to incumbent candidates who had no races. The big 8 worked for
council candidates who may be running for speaker, who had no races.
Berlin Rosen Daniel Garodnick, Red Horse and Hudson TDG James Vacca, Hudson TG
Mark Weprin. Multi-Media run by newspaper publisher Michael Nussbaum have been
doing printing for the Parkside Group for years in the dark pools because state
election law does not require subcontractors are reported. Red Horse worked alongside
Parkside for DSCC where Melvin Lowe was indicted this week for fake printing
invoices. Red Horse has at least 20 interest group clients. This summer the New
York World reported Hudson TG LLC – offer lobbying services to represent
special interests with the officials they have sometimes helped to get elected.
The only campaign consultant that does not directly lobby is Brandford
Communications. But Brandford's Ernie Lendler did pull a Melvin Lowe when he
gave convicted Brooklyn Boss Norman fake invoices. Lendler did not get
indicted in exchanged for testifying against Norman Background on the Big 8 Consultants as
Lobbyists* CrainsNY on the Advance Groups Double Dipping
(CrainsNY)

Ethics panel looks into lobbying for liquor bill(NYP)
Gov. Cuomo’s Moreland Commission sent subpoenas to lobbyists working
for the Rose Group — which leases space in the Third Church of Christ,
Scientist on Park Avenue at E. 63rd Street — seeking information about
its efforts to pass an exemption to state liquor laws, sources said.
Rose has spent $373,401 on lobbying since 2011, including $245,000 to
lobbyist and former chiropractor Joseph Mirto’s Empire Consultants.
Records show Mirto has sent $27,500 to state legislators and $32,500
to Gov. Cuomo’s re-election committee since 2011, with Rose adding
another $5,000 to Cuomo. * Assemblyman Dan Quart, who represents the
Upper East Side, sponsored the
bill in his chamber. With no Senate sponsor, the bill was introduced
through the Rules Committee in an unusual procedural move.

What the NYP Left Out Campaign Consultant George ArztHow Lobbyists Work Together

Arzt was paid $1500 by Kellner's City Council Campaign
Micah Kellner and Dan Quart co-sponsored a bill
specifically to carve out an exception in the state liquor law to give
the church-cum-wedding factory the right to sell liquor all the time.
Lobbyists for the Rose Group contributed thousands of dollars to
Kellner’s (and Quart’s) campaigns. Over the last few campaign cycles
Micah Kellner took in around $4,000 from lobbying firm Connelly,
McLaughlin &amp; Woloz, and from the principals of the firm, and from
Brenda Levin and George Arzt, other Rose Group lobbyists.

Thompson Has A Lot of Campaign ConsultantsHas the Campaign Bureaucracy That He Created Hurt His Efforts to Get Out A Clear Message

Consultant GridlockNo Clear Message

Thompson Must Count On A Big Black Turnout Which Most of His Consultants Have Nothing To Do With

Bedford
Grove LLC $ 300,000 Bedford Grove LLC is the consulting firm sending
out Thompson's public schedule and statements. It's home to former public
advocate Betsy Gotbaum and her
former aide, Ian MacDonald. Others members of the firm, Michael Giaccio,
Kristie Stiles, worked on Eliot Spitzer and David Paterson's statewide
campaigns. Another member of the shop, Marius Muresano, was once Spitzer's
photographer. Mirram Group, LLC
$75,000 Eduardo Castell from the MirRam Group is Thompson’s lead campaign
operative. Mirram Group, LLC$400,000 including radio and TV ads. Consultant Marla Klinger $100,000 is helping out with fundraising, while Butler Associates $ 54,000, handles his
public relations. Hank Sheinkopf $80,000
announcement came in a rollout of new members of Team Thompson -- including new
Communications Director John Collins, $24,000 a former staffer for Anthony
Weiner. 1,000,000. Metro Strategies, LLCCampaign Lit$300,000. Particle $130,000. Peeler Allen Consulting, LLC $40,000. Peter
D. Hart Research Associa $150,000. Pitta Bishop Del Giorno at al $75,000. Prince,
Jonathan $90,000. Renaud, Monique $50,000. Schenker, Jonathan $20,000. Corning
Place Communications $32,000.

Many Of Thompson Consultants Are Lobbyists. Is There Enough Money in the City Budget to Take Care of All of Them?

Policy Director Amber Green is joining the campaign from GMMB in
Washington, a firm whose partners include former Weiner media guy Jim Margolis.
Thompson is also bringing on more Obama veterans, including Senior Advisor
Karine Jean-Pierre $20,000, who's worked on both the campaign side -- helping
run battleground state ops -- and in the White House. Another ex-Obama staffer,
Will Leaverton, who ran GOTV ops, will serve as Thompson's field director. More
additions to the team, which already includes Jonanthan Prince and Bruce Gyory:
Deputy Campaign Manager Frank Thomas, who managed Rep. Kathy Hochul's
re-election bid last year, and Political Director Kim Ramos a strategist and
lawyer with a network of contacts particularly among Latino electeds in the
city and state Legislature. The campaign paid more than $170,000 to Suri
Kasirer, a lobbyist and fund-raiser; more than $160,000 to Marla Klinger,
another fund-raiser; some $140,000 to Monique Renaud, an expert in campaign
finance regulations; and $40,000 to Andrew Grossman, a political strategist.
(Andrea Cukier, who tutors Mr. Thompson in Spanish, was also listed as
consultant, and she received at least $5,500.) The Campaign Group TV Ads

Don't want to take questions from the media? Well, OK — but Rick Karlin might gently rap on the tinted window of your taxpayer-funded sled.(TU)

Schneiderman Protects Lobbyist Cunningham

Editorial: Lay it out, Eric(NYDN) Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s dealings with a top political operative with whom he has a long-standing personal and professional relationship are getting too cozy for comfort. Worse, Schneiderman is refusing to release all of his official communications with Jennifer Cunningham under a dubious reading of the Freedom of Information Law. Now is the time for the state’s top legal official to come completely clean. His campaign has paid the firm where she is a managing director, SKDKnickerbocker, $5.8 million over the past four years.But it turns out that Cunningham has been wearing the additional hats of (c) unpaid consultant to the attorney general’s office and (d) paid representative of private clients doing business with that same office. The newly public documents show that Cunningham had gone to bat with Schneiderman and his office on behalf of a half-dozen paying clients over the past four years. They included a hospital owner looking for help with a merger, a health-care company seeking an informational meeting, gay rights activists requesting a quote for a press release, organizers of a forum on prescription drug costs inviting the AG’s office to participate and an anti-bullying group suggesting the wording for a friendly tweet.Meanwhile, Schneiderman’s office is concealing who knows how many additional emails, discussing who knows what topics. Allowing officials to exempt any Tom, Dick or Harriet as “consultants” — without pay or a signed contract — would blow a mile-wide hole in the public’s right to know.*Newspaper Inkind Ads New Yorkers who are struggling to stay in their homes received a boost when state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said there was another $40 million for a Homeowner Protection Program that arose following the 2008 financial crisis, the Times Union reports:

As Cahill Gains Ground in the AG Race Schneiderman is Being Push Into Every Corrupt Democratic Operatives (Very People He Needs to Put In Jail) To Pull Out the Vote For Him

Now the AG Needs the Old Machine to Pull Out the Vote

John Cahill gains ground on Eric Schneiderman(NYP) The SienaCollege survey found that 50 percent of 809 registered likely voters would re-elect Schneiderman, while 34 percent would vote for Cahill. Last month, Schneiderman had a 54-27 lead over Cahill, who served as chief of staff to former Gov. George Pataki.

The Old Machines and the New Tammany Hall Will Pull Votes for Scheiderman

__________________________________________________________________________________Which Lobbyist Will Cash In

The Lobbyist and Consultants Who Win If Quinn Wins

Benenson Strategy Group$200,000

DeLoach, Michael$100,000

Fundraising Allocation $400,000

Mark Guma Communications $670,000 (Also Works for the Manhattan DA) Mark Guma is the
former partner of Hank Morris. Before Morris when to jail he and Guma
contributed money to the Governor of New Mexico who somehow give pension
funds to Morris and his partner Steve Ratner. Guma also forgave some
of the campaign funds he was owed by the Manhattan DA. Guma wife worked
for Bloomberg campaign along with Haggerty who DA Vance has indicted
for stealing a million from the mayor.

They met as eager activists who leafleted for candidates and
demonstrated against antigay violence outside the Stonewall Inn. Young,
female and gay, Christine C. Quinn
and Emily Giske became such close friends that Ms. Giske moved into Ms.
Quinn’s building in Chelsea and introduced Ms. Quinn to the woman who
is now her fiancée.

George
Arzt is a political adviser, lobbyist, spokesman, public relations
consultant, and a very generous campaign contributor. . . He makes
Kings by electing them to public office and then uses his kings to Make
$$$

As if the impending three-way congressional race between Rep. Ed Towns, Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries and Councilman Charles Barron
didn't have enough drama, the race could also well be a battle between
two of the state's best-known political consultants -- who happen to
be arch-enemies. As noted yesterday by Capital New York, George Arzt and Hank Sheinkopf,
formerly close friends, now refuse to speak to one another. Arzt's
firm is signed on as the campaign consultant for Jeffries, while
Sheinkopf has a longstanding relationship with Towns and is already
acting as something of a campaign spokesman. (Sheinkopf says he hasn't
officially signed onto the campaign -- at least not yet.) "I'm looking
forward to it," said Arzt of the likely competition with his nemesis.
Sheinkopf was less diplomatic. "I don't know what George Arzt does, and
I don't much care," Sheinkopf said. (CHN) *Extell George Arzt Moreland Commission Christine Quinn One57 Connections

NYP Used By Sheinkopf When They Allow Him to Attack Liu A George Arzt Client

The
New Political Director of the NY Post David Seifman and Stringer
political consultant George Arzt are long time friends. Arzt used to
write for the NYP become he became a lobbyist political consultant. The
two even shared a beach house together years ago.

All summer, the lobbyist, campaign consultant, and political insider George Arzt
was quoted by the mainstream media as an impartial observer on this
year's mayoral race. However, come to find out that he has been part of a
group of politicos having weekly meetings strategizing how to install
New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn as Michael
Bloomberg's successor. Not only that, but according to the information
on the Campaign Finance Board's Web site, employees that disclosed their
relationship with one of Mr. Arzt's lobbying clients, Extell, funneled
$11,675 in political donations to Christine Quinn's campaign accounts.
What gives reporters the basis to trust Mr. Arzt, when he said he had no
horse in this race ? (Politicker : Christine Quinn Takes a Seat at Ed Koch’s Table with George Arzt Holding Court, too)

Does
Katz's Campaign Consultant Arzt Need the Cash, He lost the Brooklyn DA
and Manhattan BP, But After All He Still Has His Lobbing ContractsThe Daily News calls on a number of candidates for public office in New York City, to return the latest
checks they’ve been issued by the city’s public campaign financing
system because they are general election shoo-ins. Melinda Katz, who pulled down $28,101 in general election matching funds on her way to being sworn in as
Queens borough president. Katz had $110,000 in the bank. Republican
Aurelio Arcabascio’s campaign was $1,246 in the red at last filing.George Arzt Communications, Inc. - NYC Lobbyist Search Result

The Secret World of Dark Pools Lobbyist/Political ConsultantIt
is very clear that Wall Street has Dark Pools where traders operate
beyond the regulators. What is not clear is that their are also Dark
Pool where lobbyists, campaign consultants and elected officials make
deals with each other undermining democracy hidden from public view. Marathon Strategies' Phil Singer has worked for Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, Cuomo's 2010 campaign, Quinn, Lappin and Stringer. On
his website Singer list Freshdirect, Walmart and NYClass as his clients
but Marathon Strategies is not listed as a lobbyist with NYC. Leaders
of NYCLASS along with the Advance Groups created the IE PAC NYCASS that
was involved in the anti-Quinn campaign and other campaigns that Scott
Levenson's Advance Group was involved in. Phil served as a senior
adviser and consultant to Andrew Cuomo's winning
2010 campaign for Governor, and he worked for Senator Chuck Schumer in a
variety of capacities from 2000 to 2006, counseling Schumer on all
media-related matters. What all of these lobbyists/campaign consultants
like Singer, Artz and Levenson do is work in secret as lobbyists
against the public interests and run campaigns that them to get more
lobbyists clients.

Head of de Blasio Fund Raise Lobbyist Capalino Makes Deal With the Mayor to Save Tourist Helicopters City nears deal to cut helicopter tours in half (NYP) The de Blasio administration is close to a deal that would allow the helicopter tourist industry to keep operating – but with flights cut in half and eliminated entirely on Sundays, sources told The Post. The pared-down flight schedule is intended as a response to noise complaints from residents living near the Downtown Manhattan Heliport and on the other side of the East River in Brooklyn Heights, who persuaded the City Council to draft measures that would ground all tourist fligh “It’s unclear whether the smaller operators will survive, but this, at least, will keep the major operators functioning and keep in the helicopter tourist industry alive in the city,” said one source, adding he expects the mayor to announce an agreement “very soon.” An EDC spokesman declined comment.Sources said that powerhouse lobbyist James Capalino, a longtime friend and fund-raiser of de Blasio, played a key role in the negotiations. Among the meetings he arranged was a rare face-to-face session with the mayor at City Hall last May – a day after Capalino’s firm gave de Blasio’s nonprofit fundraising arm, Campaign for One New York, a donation of $10,000, records show. Capalino’s firm has received $120,000 in lobbying fees from the industry since de Blasio took office in 2014, including $85,000 from the Helicopter Tourism &amp; Jobs Council. Pending bills in the council to ban the tourist flights would not affect private charter services, which cater to corporate clients. * The de Blasio administration is close to a deal that would allow the helicopter tourist industry to keep operating – but with flights cut in half and eliminated entirely on Sundays, in responding to noise complaints

De Blasio fund-raisers are big time lobbyists - NY Daily News The host committee included James Capalino, who has lobbied for Rudin Management, developers of high-end condos near the old St. Vincent’s Hospital, and lobbyist Suri Kasirer, who met with de Blasio on Brooklyn’s contentious Atlantic Yards project. Others on the host committee included Stan Natapoff and Alexandra Stanton of Empire Global Ventures, Rachel Amar of Waste Management of New York, and Michael Woloz of Connelly McLaughlin &amp; Woloz. SHAWN INGLIMA FOR NEW YORK DAILY NEWS James Capalino lobbied for Rudin Management, developers of high-end condos near the old St. Vincent’s Hospital, and Suri Kasirer who met with Bill de Blasio on Brooklyn’s contentious Atlantic Yards project, are part of de Blasio's host committee for $1 million fund-raiser. * De Blasio’s door is open to lobbyists | New York Post Leading the pack was last year’s highest-earning city lobbyist, James Capalino, who met with Hizzoner three times in the last three months. Capalino hosted two fund-raisers for de Blasio’s successful mayoral run in 2013. Clients who accompanied him to the meetings included Chinese real-estate and movie-theater mogul Wang Jianlin, chairman of Dalian Wanda Group, and Janno Lieber, a top Silverstein Properties exec who bundled $11,100 for de Blasio two years ago. Capalino most recently met with the mayor on May 28 on behalf of helicopter-tour operators in lower Manhattan — an opportunity that critics of the noisy flights say they haven’t gotten. “It’s very discouraging but not surprising,” said Delia Von Neuschatz, a resident of Battery Park City who founded an advocacy group to halt the tours.*De Blasio raises $1.5M for political nonprofit - NY Daily News

NYP Used By Sheinkopf When They Allow Him to Attack Liu A George Arzt Client

DE BLASIO BENEFITED FROM D’AMATO MONEY:While
Bill de Blasio was elected mayor as a progressive Democrat, he quietly
took contributions from people closely tied to former U.S. Senator
Alfonse D’Amato, who is now a lobbyist and perhaps the state’s most
powerful Republican.

Lobbyist Now Even Work for Local Governments and Interests Doing Business With Those Local Governments

Report: Taxpayer money used to pay lobbyists(poughkeepsiejournal)
Voters elect state officials to represent them and their communities at
the state Capitol.But to many local governments and advocacy groups,
that's simply not enough. They
shelled out $8 million last year, mainly taxpayer money, to hire some
of the top lobbyists in Albany to represent their interests, a review by
the New York Public Interest Research Group at the request of the
Journal's Albany Bureau found. Even state colleges and public
authorities — which are creations of state government — felt the need to
hire lobbyists to essentially lobby other state agencies and the state
Legislature. In some cases, the lobbyists represent the municipalities
and companies that lobby the same governments.Critics contended it's
another example of the pay-to-play system in
state politics. They said campaign-finance reforms could improve the
system. New York has one of the most porous campaign-finance laws in the
nation and one of the robust lobbying industries: Compensation for
lobbyists reached a record high in 2013, a whopping $191 million. "It
speaks volumes about the culture in Albany," said Bill Mahoney, NYPIRG
research director. "Government can't even talk to itself with out hiring
private lobbyists to help grease the wheels." The RGRTA spent nearly
$100,000 a piece last year on two lobbyists:
Patricia Lynch Associates, run by a former top aide to Assembly Speaker
Sheldon Silver, and Robert Scott Gaddy, a close confidante of
Assemblyman David Gantt, D-Rochester. Darren Dopp, a spokesman for
Patricia Lynch Associates, said the firm
increasingly provides help to local governments dealing with complex
state policies and legislation. For example, Patricia Lynch Associates
got paid about $76,000 last year
to be the lobbyist for the city of Yonkers. Yet the same firm was hired
by Yonkers Raceway for about $83,000 last year to lobby the city and the
state. There's a similar scenario in Monroe County. The county uses
Park
Strategies as its lobbyist, paying nearly $64,000 to the firm run by
former Sen. Al D'Amato. Yet Park Strategies represents at least three
firms, including Clark Patterson, an engineering firm, that list Monroe
County as one of its lobbying targets. Often, lobbying firms are the
bigger campaign contributions to state
lawmakers' campaigns. That gives them outsized influence at the Capitol
and makes them more valuable to municipalities, authorities and colleges
that need help, Mahoney contended.

Local governments, public authorities, colleges and
special-interest groups spent $8 million in 2013 on lobbyists. That
figure includes in-house lobbyists and the hiring of private firms.

In some cases, the same lobbyist represent local governments and companies that lobby the same municipalities.

Lawmakers
and municipalities say hiring a lobbyist is simply the cost of doing
business at the Capitol. Some colleges use private foundation money to
fund their lobbying work.

* The Unlobbyists(NYT) “Much of the decline in lobbying activity is not a decline at all, but
rather the side effect of lobbyists and lobbying firms taking advantage
of a feature of the law that allows them to continue influencing policy
from ‘behind the scenes.’ By working as policy advisors and in other
‘unlobbyist’ positions, former lobbyists can keep their current jobs but
escape the consequences of being registered, leading people in and out
of lobbying to suggest that those consequences act as a deterrent to
transparency.”

How Does the Media Let George Arzt Get Away With Flacking for Luxury Highrise Tax Breaks, While Running Major Campaigns? EXTELL DEVELOPMENT COMPANY. Media Contact: George Arzt at 212-608-0333
Can
we expect the candidates like Katz that Arzt is trying to elect this
year will help him get more tax breaks for luxury highrises. Subpoenas
have gone to Gary Barnett’s Extell Development, sponsor of One57 *

Capital Puff Piece on A LobbyistBigtime lobbyist says her ‘crappy year’ was a one-off(Capital)
Lobbyist
tells Capital that a year of lay-offs, liens, and lost clients was a
one-off. Patricia Lynch, long one of New York's top lobbyists, had an
awful 2013, filled with tax liens, laid-off staff and lost clients.
Lynch former boss and calling card at the Capitol, longtime speaker
Sheldon Silver, was harshly criticized for his handling of sexual
harassment claims, and there were enduring rumors about his viability as
speaker. Lynch was seen as the go-to conduit for Silver, who had
consolidated his
power in the Assembly, and she rose quickly in the Albany firmament.

Ethics panel looks into lobbying for liquor bill(NYP)
Gov. Cuomo’s Moreland Commission sent subpoenas to lobbyists working
for the Rose Group — which leases space in the Third Church of Christ,
Scientist on Park Avenue at E. 63rd Street — seeking information about
its efforts to pass an exemption to state liquor laws, sources said.
Rose has spent $373,401 on lobbying since 2011, including $245,000 to
lobbyist and former chiropractor Joseph Mirto’s Empire Consultants.
Records show Mirto has sent $27,500 to state legislators and $32,500
to Gov. Cuomo’s re-election committee since 2011, with Rose adding
another $5,000 to Cuomo. * Assemblyman Dan Quart, who represents the
Upper East Side, sponsored the
bill in his chamber. With no Senate sponsor, the bill was introduced
through the Rules Committee in an unusual procedural move.

What the NYP Left Out Campaign Consultant George ArztHow Lobbyists Work Together

Arzt was paid $1500 by Kellner's City Council Campaign
Micah Kellner and Dan Quart co-sponsored a bill
specifically to carve out an exception in the state liquor law to give
the church-cum-wedding factory the right to sell liquor all the time.
Lobbyists for the Rose Group contributed thousands of dollars to
Kellner’s (and Quart’s) campaigns. Over the last few campaign cycles
Micah Kellner took in around $4,000 from lobbying firm Connelly,
McLaughlin &amp; Woloz, and from the principals of the firm, and from
Brenda Levin and George Arzt, other Rose Group lobbyists.

When Campaign Aides Are Lobbyists, Questions Mount(Barkan, City Limits)Some of the top firms advising
candidates for state and local office also lobby those offices for
clients like corporations and unions. Some believe the potential
conflict demands reform.

How
is the world can a political consultant firm Global Strategy Group paid
$2,000,000 Two Million in a fine to the AG for illegally arranging a
meeting between the current comptroller, Tom DiNapoli,
and an investment fund and still stay in business. That fact alone
tell you how much money they make off of government. They are the new
prince of the city, Pay to Play millionaires. We know how they got the
power to influence the pols, they help elect them. Just look at who is
at the heart of the pension scandal, Hank Morris. He used the fact that
he elected Hevesi
to the Comptrollers office to loot pension funds not only in New York
but in LA, New Mexico and who else knows where. Morris and Global are
not the only lobbyist consultant who are at the center of corruption
today in New York. Consulting Firm Among Five to Settle in Pension Corruption Probe * Democratic consulting firm Global Strategy Group also settled with Cuomo, but Roberto Ramirez’s lobbying firm, the Mirram Group, remains under scrutiny.

Queens Dictator Lobbyist Stavisky Above the Law in the Banana Republic of Queens

Modern Boss Tweed

In
2005 in a NYT article Dick Dadey executive director of Citizens Union
expressed concern about what he called "a growing problem" of
council members being lobbied by firms that serve as political
consultants to many of them. "It clearly gives a lobbyist who does
campaign work unfair advantage, because it gives them a level of
access to the elected official that they otherwise would not have."
In 2005 the Parkside was paid a total of $1.7 million by more than 40
clients last year, many of them nonprofit receiving member items from
the city council.

Quinn Must Decided If Lobbyist Giske's KFC is Still Finger Licking Good

Did Quinn Block Sick Pay Bill to Help Her Lobbyists Friend?

Why
is paid sick leave coming back as a political issue after being
declared DOA by City Council Speaker Christine Quinn? Union insiders say
part of the reason is that the political calendar is getting closer to
New York City mayor’s race – and paid sick leave could well become a
litmus test issue. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer
highlighted it his State of the Borough address, while the New York
Times’ recent story about Quinn’s close ties with lobbyist Emily Giske
noted that Giske represents the parent company of Kentucky Fried
Chicken, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. Giske’s firm, Bolton St. John, lobbied
against the bill on behalf of Yum Brands, which could give opponents an
opening to attack Quinn for shelving it. With more attention again
being paid to the issue, supporters held a press conference yesterday to
tout a study saying the city would save $28 million annually in
emergency room costs if there were mandatory paid sick leave. (City and
State)

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